1940-05-30 — Page 26

Thursday,

HONGKONG TELEGRAPH

May 30, 1940.

BURNE

LONDON DRY GIN

DISTILLED AND BOTTLED BY

Rob Bimet

(LONDON)

MAOBUCK

ENGLAND

A.

THE BODY, SOUL and SPIRIT OF

A DISTINCTIVE COCKTAIL

Sole Distributors:

S. WATSON & CO., LTD.

Wino Dopt.

Chator Road

Tel. 20616,

10-HORSE THE

SENSE

Ordinary horse senso says "get value for money." 10-horse sonse says "that moans Vauxhall, because, no other Ten in the world offers such value.

INDEPENDENT Why not

HYDRAULIC BRAKES

-40-M.P.G. (with normal

driving)

try one to-day

VAUXHALL

"10"

THE VITAL ISSUE OF AIR SUPREMACY

By BRIGADIER GENERAL JOHN CHARTERIS, CM.G., D.3.0., who was Chief of the Intelligence Staff with the B.E.F.

for the first two years of the last

All Indications show that the battle will have a decisive Influence In the war. It will be possible later to analyse the process of reason- ing leading to the Germon decision to embark first on the sally into Norway and followed so closely by the greater blow seeking decision on the Western Front. But while the battle is actually in progress attention is riveted more on ly progress than one purpose.

There are three separate and yet closely connected parts of the struggle: The onslaught of the mechanised forces directed in its two main efforts, in France and in Belgium; the struggle for supremacy in the air, where for the first time the two rival forces have joined issue in strength; and, finally, the results of the new method of penetration into hostile territory by parachute or by aeroplanes land- ing on captured_nerodromes,

In none of these can any definite result be expected for some short time. It was proved over and over again in 1914-18 that attack launched after due preparation generally will succeed in penetrating a distance directly dependent upon the size of the force used Into any defensive zone. The real crisis of the battle comes when the effort is made to exploit the initial success, to relieve the tired troops, and 1 to meet the inevitable counter-attack.

The all-important battle for the supremacy of the air is the fact to which attention is best directed, and here, although it is sill too early to be optimistic, there, is much that is highly encouraging. The Gerinan clains are so fantastically beyond the range of possibilities

that they can be rejected. The official reports of our own head- quarters and our allies' leave itile doubt that, judging by the rough and ready rule of the number of planes brought down, the balance is well in our favour. But the battle for the supremacy of the raid will not be decided by counting machines lost. In the end it will rest on the three vital factors, the relative merits of the plane that are In use, the fighting efficiency of the pilots, and the resources in petrol. As regards our material, it is encouraging to note that the now Boulton-Paul turret machine ka proved highly successful in its first is well in our favour. But the battle for the supremacy of the air encounter. Moreover, all evidence so for obtainable tends to show that the Allied pliots are more than a match for their opponents, und on the all-important matter of the petrol supply the resources of the Alles are infinitely more extensive than_those_of_Germany. _On_all these it is admissible to bear high hopes.

It may be long before the issue of the air supremacy is decided, but as soon as it is decided it will affect deeply, if not indeed govern,.. the whole future course of the war on the land. Landings behind the lines by parachute and by aeroplanes must necessarily depend almost entirely upon the amount of assistance they will receive rather than on the opposition they will encounter. Without assistance their " effect, can only be very limited, both in time and in accomplishment. With assistance and with any weakening of morale they may be of great importance. So far they seem to have succeeded in causing much local embarrassment.

MOUTRIE PIANOS

ARE MADE WITH THE FINEST IMPORTED MATERIALS IN A MODERN FACTORY

UNDER EXPERT

ENGLISH SUPERVISION

MINIATURE PIANOS. UPRIGHT PIANOS.

GRANDS.

A MODEL TO SUIT YOUR REQUIREMENTS

S.

Moutrie & Co., Ltd.

YORK BUILDING

HONGKONG HOTEL

Stubbs Rd.

GARAGE

Phones: 27778-9

ANNOUNCEMENT

PRELUDE TO WAR

"AMES BENSON, which

J

is not his real name, got married. That was just about when the war started.

The engagement is announced be- tween John C. Charler, of the Hongkong Colonial Service, son of Rev. and Mrs. Howard J. After the wedding Mr. and Charter of Kandy, Ceylon, and bionde Mrs. Benson found call- Yvonne Joyce Spencer, daughter of Paymaster Commander and ing-up papers waiting that turn- Mrs. Clive E. S. Crowley of Alton ed him into Sergeant Benson duration), Lodge, Plymouth, now at Court | (full time for the fund Hotel, Hongkong.

The

Hongkong Telegraph.

Thursday, May 30, 1940. Wyndham St., Hongkong Telephone: 20013

R.A.F. Volunteer Reserve.

Not an unusual story these rather unreal war days. Now Sergeant Benson is one of a little band of newly-weds among the bunch of young men aged nine- teen to twenty-eight who, a bit leaner and tougher than they a few months back, are

werc

that "Dawn

None of that

Patrol' film business in this hard, efficient school for

pilots

•

An officer in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. wrote this

article.....

reasons why your car's petrol is rationed so drastically.

Did you sco "Dawn Patrol"? It showed young Englishmen with a few hours dir experience going into the air to meet Germany's seasoned air fightern. Don't worry, it's not happening this wor. If ever we go into air action we shall know some- thing about it before we start.

For us amateurs this is a preludo to war, with guns and gasrnaskn about the station. as a sort of back- ground to remind us that war is not. all pleasant school work,

ȚINETEEN-YEAR-OLD Alan was learning insurance at 258, a week when the war started. David, the little Irishman, will sit on his bed to-night and play his violin to sweetly we lie quiet to hear him.. Robert, tall and black-haired and very Scottish, and in the motor busi- ness, arrived

with here for duty blackened eyes-and the skin off his knuckles. Å gang of Gorbals Militia

stripes, not on him as he was leaving: his

tha native Glasgow. Charles merchant used to start work at hap-hazard so he finds our 6 am. Revellle

of the guns

THE prefix special to the Telegraph in led by the Hongkong Telegraph to passing at this air station into almost any one con fly an airplane, formation, mechanizm

of bullets ing many hundreds the alr.

When we fly into Germany It will mintste.

Indicate news which is suletly copyright the final stages of war pllots but few people can do a real job in that after all might jam while shoot boys, irritated by his sergeant's

under the provisions of the Telecommuni-

bears the indication "EP" 1 received in

serve all rights and forbid republication,

·arrangomong-

CHATER ROAD

20 | Italian Noises Off

Crossword Puzzle

АСПОЗ

1-3 this viciálky

5-Regulated

10--Diab of meat and

vegetables

1 Wickedne

lich_bywn

15-Large rodent,

17-Flat-topped

is-Oll of rout

2-Bituma

TAGY

-Polkodowe szaka „Took sides -Oare food to Kind of BUT Detr

Reprodues 2100.ek

Sattlerinas By LARS MORRIS PA

Model of excellence

Tier

-Wind•In #ABULOS

Instrumenk 44-American Bota 45mömall bird

47 – Pousada Liese

Ch-Zip end

BOGUS. In two

-7---Gayings

36-Turn around 80-Leuch noise Di-Pertaining to moTA-

menta of jide

#Parmot för

transportation

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE

DETER

PORT

RAP MAINE BARLS

ANI QIVAL PSI LEASE — BALONE ARCADA GRASED

DYBR

SARGO

84-One time

60-Best people co-Ceilio language 07-Bottom of lexi dām/Theater Dozer B-Drunken persons

DOWN 1-Rope material 27

3-Ost typ

4-Clock by

Phrygian exp 6-Butted to

Kaptian goddes -Periods of time

Combining formi skin 10-Kontr 11-Adraltzess

-River in fruland ---Common plant

21-Conjunction

Tremulous

-AmbaNŐTTE M-Florida” qallinular 26--17

- Chest 31-Become, inferior

31-Warrier

-16-Propitia to m

Amall Amphibians Mais sheep

JR-LAKOWiso not, 40-Corn bread (pl) 45—Mosler tower 46–Decanters (Presch) ÄT-Take_100%)

81-Movie-like, rodesta 52-Professor (col) 15-Razor sharpener $4-Part of ball bearing 56-Storehouse for grain

67-Polynesian food-plant

10-Observes B-RecenLis

Gate

2

મ

5

7 b

13

12

纵

.

!b

15

18

21

22.

23

25

To

21

28 20

30

31

731

33

34 35

#7

138

બા

મમ

39

42.

[143

45

146

199

61

53

64

155

156

BO

bi

152

163

65

bb

[689

Count the TELEGRAPHS"

everywhere

shall have

saw

3

teli

alled

cations Ordinance, 1938. Buch training. I'm one of them. Hongkong on the date of publication by There are several new R.A.F. probably be dark, blacked-out. There the United Press Associations, he re-wives living in temporary lodg- will be no radio guidance for us.

Now bombing: Bomba nzert Covent Garden at 5 am. as a civilian, to carry out our tasks,

just tipped arany or in part without previous ings in the sleepy old country and just as important, get home into space. They've got to be plot These are the RAF's war-time

ensy. town close by. They are stay again, on our instruments, navigating ted like a gun's shell. If the first pilot material In the evenings they ing near their new husbands un- by compass and time, reckoning with two miss, their position should get around a plano that is alightly til the day, pretty close now, winds. You've got to learn that sort you why they missed wrong wind out of tune in an old in noy

flying.

set on the bomb sight, plane nol level where the beamed roof seams lowe when they will be liable for post- ing to active service aquadrons. sideration,

There are enemy fighters for con- when they were released, dropped too enough to bump your head. The ex- square-winged Messer- soon or too late, or several more rea- chartered accountant plays and the By 7.30 every morning the schmitts flown by the quiet, well sons for going astray.

rest sing so that you can hear them What you learn from the two through the shattered windows and men have to be at the airfield mannered young GAF, and misses should get No. 3 right on the all along the blacked-out street.

bowing shyly to their R.A.F. ready for the day's flying-in French Air Force counterparts at the target.

I

this a prelude to war for stead of catching the train for Brussels air meeting last summer. These things mean desk work to us amateurs. None of us woud care town,

It-those-quiet-young-men-catch-us-learn. But it's not all heen school to guess where we'll be in throo we must know the theory of fighting Every day and at nights, too, we go months' time. This is the first war amateur Air them off. range of our guns, sighting, into the air in charge of some three, for all of us. Yet I doubt if any WE ore the

field of fire from our own plane and tons of Government property, value young Britons in uniform ever pre- Force, the experiment In the friendly machine next in the about £0,000. We are one of the pared for war more cheerlly. the Volunteer Reserve of pilots. On the RAF's war scheme of things, September 3 we sat round our radios at home, our unworn uniforms rolled in kit-bags. Wo were a clerk, master printer and company director, engineer, an aircraft designer, an commercial travellers, a civil servant, a chartered accountant, an airline pilot, a buyer, a technical representa- Live. Wo sat and waited for the news, and not one of us but hoped something might happen before 11 is made so public and "pre-our livings as civilians.

a.m. to leave us peacefully earning belligerency" in all its shapes is so well advertised that there is

least reason to

If Italy intends to be at war with us before long she is going an odd way about it. It may be necessary to excite Italian opinion-in-favour of a war which would ordinarily be unpopular by parades and

speeches, but usually it is found wiser to begin wars silently and swiftly and not lose the advantages of surprise. The present temper of the Italian press and the enigmatic variations of responsible officials short speeches give us no cause at all for surprise if they should end in war.

Yet the readiness

30

Only a few hours later, after Mr. Chamberlain said with that bite in his voice. "But Hitler would not wonder have it," the military machine had got whether some more subile end is tons.

us, put us into blue and brass but- not being pursued. Italy is the ally of Germany; if she does not lend her arms to the struggle the least she can do is to brandish them. This slone is most valuable to Germany, for it gives

118

We were awkward, walked round a) block, shy at having to salute en ap- proaching officer. We've never been out of uniform since, and now it's as though we'd been poured into it. are devoted to Our lives now

commander's achieving the flight. passing out assessment. When we leave flying school we take this with Mediterrancan preoccupaus to our squadrons, neatly entered

in our log books.

tions. It may be that the angry

shouting and marching, curbed

Whichever assessment it is, it will be our

previous employer's reference

one day to be doubled the noxt, in this strango new job when wo are

is to prepare not for war but for posted to our respective squadrons.

THE Young

ones here, and some of the older ones too,

Navigation enthusiasts hanker after Bishops and McCuddens of this war. dying boats.

Some of us are destined for the dial-litered cabins of heavy bombers, or fast medium bombers, or recon- paissance planes to bring back to Staff Headquarters the pictures and news of the enemy's strength deep inside his own territory.

a resolute effort to force us to relax that contraband control which Italy finds so irksome.have been praying they will leave hore en route for fighter squadrons. Though it is best for us to anti-They dream of being the Mannocks. cipate the worst, general feeling in Italy appears opposed to war. The Pope has spoken for the civilised West against the war begun by its enemics; the Royal Houso exerts pacific influences and the people as a whole have

Every one of us has his own iden no taste for slding with the about what he wants to fly in this ancient northern adversary. Our war. Some of us will get our wish. some will disappointed, if we go taek would bo mado harder by into long-distance bomber squadrons Italy's entry, but it is indeed instead of 400 mp.h, fighter units. difficult to see what Italy herself Ministry tell flying training schools Near the end of "term" the Air could gain by it. If not ruined what they want, so

many bomber she would be terribly weakened pilots, so many fighters, boats, for- pedo bombers, reconnaissance' and, at its end, whoever won. Ger- occasionally,

Army co-operation, many's victory would leave her ments the school authorities pick us With the Ministry's list of require-

at best a tolerated dependency; there is no room for two Roman Empires, and Hitlor has claimed

one.

man by inan, for the vacancies.

Dery

THE way they have trained us up to passing-out singe? Largely in classrooma. They tell us

CARTOON

(PROTECTION):

By Strube

WE COME

AS FRIENDS